ALBANY -- The Albany man who police say abandoned three puppies along the railroad tracks last fall is now facing felony animal cruelty charges, and could spend up to two years in jail.

Anthony Walker, 31, was arraigned in Albany County Court after a grand jury indicted him on one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and four misdemeanor counts of animal abuse, said District Attorney P. David Soares.

Walker is charged with abandoning three injured pit bulls along the train tracks near North Pearl and Van Woert Streets in September, 2012.

One on the puppies had to be fitted with a prosthetic paw, another suffered the loss of three toes, while the third puppy did not survive.

Soares said they were also charging Walker for a separate incident in January 2013, in which he allegedly left four dogs in a trailer "without proper sustenance."

"I'm very pleased," said Brad Shear, executive director Hudson Mohawk Humane Society, upon hearing news of Walker's indictment. "I think these cases were not easy to investigate or to prosecute."

The surviving dogs, named Pearl and Hudson, became local celebrities as the story garnered widespread media coverage.

Over 300 inquiries about adopting the pair were fielded, and the dogs each were eventually placed in appropriate homes and are thriving, according to Shear.

"Overall it really took some good police work, and we have a very good relationship with the DA," Shear said. "We're lucky to have a DA that is as committed as we are to pursuing and prosecuting these cases. It's very rare to have that kind of focus on animal cruelty."